Zoo!

We headed to the zoo this afternoon after meeting Jonathan for lunch.  The girls had a great time, and for once, I was in no rush, so we took our time meandering through the zoo.  I'm so glad we went...the animals were all really active, and we got to see some cool stuff we've not seen before.   We've seen this before, but it doesn't seem to get old for the girls!

What we have NOT done before at this zoo is feed the giraffes!  The girls were excited to try it, and it was the right time of day, so we did it.  They fed them lettuce, and it was all very regimented, but still an opportunity the girls haven't had before.

I took some footage.

There are baby lions at the zoo...little lion cubs that are SO CUTE.  We spent a lot of time at the lion space watching them play and roam.  Later in the afternoon Jonathan joined us after work, and it was feeding time.  The lions are taken into their indoor enclosure and the zoo personnel take in big chunks of meat and put them in the outdoor space.  Then after the people are back out, the lions are released and the frenzy begins!  They are very territorial, and it seems that there is a hierarchy of who gets to eat first, who gets what food, etc.  Fascinating to watch.

Then one of the male lions came and laid down right by the window.  They are much bigger than you think standing two feet away.

Check him out!

Hey, buddy.

Another obligatory picture on the gorilla.  Of course there was bickering about who got to be where and by whom for the picture.  Leiden is not best pleased with her lot.

We wandered around until the zoo closed at 6.  It was honestly one of the best zoo trips we've ever taken.  Jonathan is very knowledgeable about all things biological, and wowed us with fun facts and details.  What a great time!